


Gentle Sins

by CrashHale



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Assault, Betrayal, Blood and Violence, Brother-Sister Relationships, F/M, Falling In Love, Family, Fear, Fluff, Gang Violence, Guilt, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Lies, Mild Smut, Northside Jughead Jones, Protective Older Brothers, References to Drugs, Secret Relationship, southside Betty cooper
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:07:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24789712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrashHale/pseuds/CrashHale
Summary: After her older brother gets into serious trouble with the Serpents, Betty makes a deal with Gladys, the Serpent Queen herself. A soul for a soul. Her task? To get close to her son Jughead and his father, then report back her findings. Simple enough, right?That is, until she starts to fall for Jughead and her guilt begins to grow, torn between keeping her brother safe and lying to the boy she loves.
Relationships: Betty Cooper & Original Charles Smith (Riverdale), Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, FP Jones II/Gladys Jones, Jellybean Jones & Jughead Jones
Comments: 213
Kudos: 235
Collections: 7th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees





	1. Betty

**Author's Note:**

> Throughout the story I will periodically add **‘Helpful Notes’** and **‘Chapter Warnings’** as this is a dark themed AU. Please read the tags and reach out to me on Tumblr (CrashHale) if you’d like to start reading but have concerns. 
> 
> **Helpful Notes:**  
>  \- Betty and Charles are full blooded siblings and share the same biological mother and father. Polly doesn’t exist.  
> \- Charles’ last name is Cooper in this (Smith is used in the tags).  
> \- The first four chapters (and the majority of the story) will be heavily in Betty POV, but we will see Jughead’s POV soon, and perhaps some others.
> 
>  **Chapter Warnings:**  
>  \- Chapter One has a lot of violence, blood, and angst.
> 
> Edited by PeaceBlessingsPeyton.

Betty couldn’t remember how she got down into the Whyte Wyrm’s basement, all she knew now was that her whole life was falling apart, being ripped from her no matter how hard she fought to hold onto it.

“No!” she shrieked, her screams bouncing off the thick concrete walls, her cries drowned out before they could be heard by anyone up above in the noisy Southside bar.

When Betty was younger she used to have nightmares, especially after her parents died. Her big brother Charles would come to her rescue, saving her from those horrifying things and explaining that she was safe in her bed at home, he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. He’d stay with her until she fell asleep again, and she could rest easy knowing he’d always be there to keep the scary monsters away.

But no one was coming to rescue her this time.

She wasn’t sure how many men were holding her back as she flailed to get free. Her heart was beating out of her chest and she’d never been more terrified in her life.

“Please, no! Please! Let him go!”

Her brother, the only person who mattered in the whole world, was laying in a puddle of his own blood, getting kicked repeatedly by other Serpent men. She could hear ribs cracking and see blood spattering. So much blood. 

His leader jacket had been pulled off, his white t-shirt ripped, dirty, and drenched in blood.

“Please, please,” she begged, fighting for breath through her sobbing. “Please, stop!”

But they didn’t. Gladys had given the order and no one would stop until she told them to. The Serpent Queen’s word was gospel on the Southside. 

“Charles!” Betty screamed, afraid he was already dead.

Strong hands held her back, making sure that even though she couldn’t help she would still watch in agony.

She always thought she knew what it was like to feel anguish. So many horrible things had happened in her life already, but this, watching the one person she loved most get beaten to a pulp, was true helplessness.

“Please,” she sobbed, her face covered in tears and sweat. “Please, please, I’ll do anything, just stop! Stop… please…”

They didn’t.

She screamed in sorrow and fear, realizing nothing she did would work and she’d have to watch her brother get taken from her.

Despite having no energy left to fight, she wouldn't give in, kicking and screaming, sobbing and begging.

As the kicks to Charles’ stomach and back continued, so did her pleas. “Please, please,” she gasped, “I’ll do anything, I’ll do anything… Please, I’ll do anything,”

The kicks to her brother’s limp body made her shake in fear. He was always so strong, the strongest person she knew, seeing him like this was breaking her heart.

“Stop!” Gladys said loudly, and all went quiet as the Serpents stepped away and stopped their assault.

Betty still tried to fight to get to her big brother, desperate to help him, but the hands holding her back didn’t let go.

“No, Charles, please, please,” she cried. Why wasn’t he moving?

Taking a shaky breath, she watched in fear as the ruthless leader of the Serpents stepped forward, looking down at Charles and then over at Betty.

Betty had always been terrified of Gladys. She ran a dangerous crime organisation and everyone knew she wasn’t a person to be messed with. So what had Charles done, and why?

“Tell me, Charles,” she spoke, as if Charles could even hear her. “Did you have your little sister stealing from me as well?”

Betty frowned. _Stealing?_ Charles would never do that. He did a lot of things that weren’t legal but he’d never steal from Gladys. In Serpent law the only thing worse than stealing from another member was ratting them out.

She gasped when Charles coughed and moved the slightest bit, barely getting out what he had to say. “No… Betty’s got… nothing to do with… this. This was… just me,”

He coughed again, blood spilling from his mouth. 

Betty cried, happy he was alive but still petrified about what would happen to him next. “Charles,” she cried, going limp in the arms holding her away.

Gladys’ tisked, her deep brown eyes focused on Betty once more. 

“Please,” Betty said, trying to sound strong but still crying helplessly. “Whatever he did, I’ll fix it. I’ll do whatever you want. Please let him go. Don’t hurt him anymore. Please,”

Gladys smiled that cold way that really wasn’t a smile at all. Betty’s blood ran colder still. 

“Betty,” Charles coughed, more blood splattering. “Don’t.”

“Now, now, Charles, if your sister wants to get you out of this mess, I think we should let her,”

“I will,” Betty said eagerly. “I’ll do whatever you want, please just let me help him,”

Gladys waited a moment, thinking about it, and as soon as she nodded at the men still holding her, they let her go and she flew onto the floor to Charles, trying to help him but instead just getting his blood all over herself.

“Get him out of here,” Gladys instructed, Betty pushed aside as the men handled him probably not as carefully as they should have. “Betty, I’ll let you go take care of him, but I expect to see you in my office tomorrow at one p.m sharp… Don’t be late,”

The last part was a threat. Gladys may be letting them go for now, but Betty knew that if she didn’t show up tomorrow as requested, more harm would come to her brother.

.

Betty sat in the ER waiting room, hunched over and looking at her shaking blood covered hands.

She couldn’t lose him. He was her whole life. It had always been the two of them against the world, and there was no way she could go on without him.

“Betty,” she heard a familiar voice, looking up to see Fangs, Sweet Pea, and Toni.

“Oh Betty,” Toni said, rushing over to her.

Betty stood on weak legs and let her three best friends hold her up in a tight hug, their words of assurance making her cry harder.

She wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, but eventually she sat down again and Toni got her some water.

All four friends were affiliated with the Serpents, still a year too young to officially join. None of them were privy to member information, but they had all heard bits and pieces, helping put parts of the story together.

Charles worked in the drug dealings and apparently he’d been skimming off the top, cheating Gladys out of part of her cut. They had brought him into the basement and waited until Betty was called upon as well, then they proceeded to beat her brother until he was almost unrecognizable.

Betty just couldn’t figure out why he’d do something so stupid. He knew how dangerous the Serpents could be. He was the one who warned her of it.

.

Half way through the night, when Charles was in his own hospital room and Betty could go see him, she told her friends to go home. She’d be with her brother and they didn’t all need to be out of their beds tonight.

They told her to call if she needed even the smallest thing, and she nodded, grateful for their friendship. 

She was quiet as she entered Charles’ room, the lights dim as he slept and rested. 

She had seen him injured before but nothing like this, the majority of his face bruised and parts even sticked up. He may not have been covered in blood anymore, but every time she blinked she could still see it.

He was on the mend and she still had him. They still had each other. That’s all that mattered. 

She approached slowly and made sure his chest was covered by the thin blanket, kissing his forehead before she collapsed in the chair by his side and cried into the bed. She held his hand all night, not daring to close her eyes out of fear that something might happen to him.

But eventually she must have dozed off, nightmares of her screaming while Charles was beaten by his own gang playing out in a dark dreamland.

She startled awake, hearing coughs and quickly getting up to help.

His groans of pain were hard to listen to as she adjusted his bed and grabbed some water, bringing it to his lips so he could drink through the straw.

His left eye was completely swollen shut and his right was a slit, but he was still here with her, her hero and protector. She always thought he was invincible, so last night had been a real wake up call. 

She hushed him as she pulled the water away when he was done, working to fix his messy blond hair and biting her lip, trying not to cry. This whole situation was so, so bad.

“I’m okay, Betty,” he said, his voice horse.

“You’re not okay,” her own voice cracked as she said it and her throat strained, warm tears pricking her tired eyes. “Look at you,” He was bandaged up and had needles sticking into one arm. The doctor had told her he’d be okay though and could probably go home as soon as tomorrow. 

“Don’t worry, it’s no worse than my initiation was. I survived that, didn’t I?”

She shook her head. She had been only eleven when he initiated into the gang, so she couldn’t completely remember how bad he had been, but of course, she also hadn’t been there for the beating or the beginning of his healing process, so this was definitely worse for her.

She wiped her tears. “What did you do, Charles?” 

He closed his eyes for some time and Betty watched with a heavy heart as she saw him beating himself up inside.

“I’m sorry,” he finally said. “I messed up… It’s my job to take care of you,” 

“Is what Gladys said true? Were you stealing money from her?” she asked, unable to wait, anxious to know how and why this happened. “Why, Charles?”

She saw a tear run down his temple and quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe it away. “None of this is your fault, okay?” he said, his voice straining as she saw he was trying to stay strong for her. He always did that. She’d only seen him cry once before, so this was new.

“I don’t understand,” she said, an exasperated sigh escaping her chewed up lips.

“I… I’ve been trying to save enough to get you out of this hell hole… To get _us_ out. I couldn’t do it on my cut alone,”

She held his hand, her own tears falling. It was true, after their parents’ deaths Charles had been left on the Southside to take care of her. He was only seventeen, his whole life changed now that he had a ten year old to take care of. They were Serpent bound, it was in their blood, but she knew Charles had dreams of getting them out, getting them a life worth more than just what Riverdale has to offer. 

“Shh,” she hushed. “It’s okay,” she told him, just wanting him to rest and not worry anymore. All that really mattered was that he was still here with her. “I love you so much,” she told him, caressing his hair, not wanting to touch him too much in fear of hurting him.

He continued to cry. “I’m sorry, Betty,”

It was hard seeing the strongest, bravest person she knew like this, but that just meant she had to be strong for both of them right now. He’d been strong for so long. 

“Please don’t go see Gladys today,” he finally asked.

Betty had been hoping he wouldn’t remember, that he was too out of it to remember the deal she’d made with Gladys, but it seemed he had, even in his near blacked out state.

“Don’t worry about that now,” she told him. 

She had to go, she had to go see what it was she had to do now to keep her brother alive. If she didn’t show up she was sure a Serpent would be along to finish the job.


	2. Betty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Helpful Notes:**  
>  \- There is no Southside High in this AU.
> 
>  **Chapter Warnings:**  
>  \- Very mild self harm.
> 
> Edited by PeaceBlessingsPeyton.

Betty left the hospital with enough time to go home to their trailer so she could shower and change into clean clothes. She had washed her hands as well as she could but she was still covered in dry, day old blood, her clothes included.

She stayed under the spray of the shower as long as she could, not realizing how hard it would be to get everything off her skin and out of her hair. Her stomach churned with the need to heave, but she hadn’t had anything to eat since much earlier yesterday so there was nothing left in her system.

Once out of the shower, she looked at herself in the mirror, puffy red eyes with dark circles underneath staring back at her.

She had no idea what she would have to do, but whatever it was she would do it. She’d do anything for Charles. He raised her and he was the best big brother in the world. Even though they didn’t have much he always made sure she didn’t want for anything. He was the best person she knew. 

Whatever it took, she was going to keep him alive. 

With no more time to waste, she got dressed and headed back to the Whyte Wyrm, her anxiety growing the closer she got.

She ignored the older members already in the bar and walked around to the back where Gladys’ office was.

The door was open and to her surprise none of her men were standing around guarding it. Betty guessed Gladys didn’t need any protecting from her, so there wasn’t a point.

Using all the bravery she had, Betty walked up to the door and knocked on the doorframe, getting the woman’s attention away from whatever paperwork she had been working on.

“Betty,” Gladys said with a smile.

It didn’t suit her. Sure, Betty had seen Gladys smile and even laugh, but her true form was a cold hard expression. She exuded power and strength, and right now Betty felt neither of those things.

But she walked in anyway and sat opposite Gladys, accepting her invite in. She wasn’t interested in looking around, even though she’d never been in the room. She was here for one reason and one reason only. 

“I’m glad you showed up. You’ve always been a smart girl,”

Betty swallowed, not speaking. She was here to listen to whatever Gladys wanted in return for her brother’s safety.

“Do you know what your brother did to me, Betty? To the Serpents, his own family?”

Betty just watched her, not sure if she was meant to answer or if it was just a segway into her letting Betty know exactly what was going on.

Gladys sighed when Betty didn’t speak, sitting back in her chair and taking a moment it seemed to get her thoughts together.

“He’s been stealing from me… And after everything I did for you both after your parents died,”

What  _ had _ she done, Betty wondered. She had pushed Charles into initiation so he could keep the two of them safe, have some kind of way to provide for them now that they were alone.  _ Wow, what a saint. _

“Stealing from your own kind is punishable by death. The only reason I let him live is out of respect for your late parents. They were good Serpents, they were loyal,”

Betty looked at her, the darkness of her eyes not letting her believe anything she had to say. It was a lie. Gladys hadn’t spared her brother because of who their parents were, she had done it so she could get something out of Betty - something she wanted. All Betty had to do was sit here long enough to figure out what it was.

“But you,” the older woman smiled again, “You’re a good little sister, aren’t you? Thinking on your feet like that and being brave enough to speak up, that’s exactly what being a Serpent is all about… We’ll be lucky to officially have you next year,”

_ Fat chance, _ Betty thought. There was no way she was joining. Besides, even though eighteen was the official age someone could join, it didn’t mean she had to. She could still be affiliated due to her bloodline.

Besides the fact that she simply didn’t want to be in the gang, there was no way she was going to strip on a stage for all to see. You’d think after a woman took over the Serpents that that misogynistic initiation ritual would be updated. 

Gladys sighed when she seemed to realize she wasn’t going to get any conversation out of Betty.

“Right down to business I take it then?”

Betty nodded. “I’ll do whatever you ask, if you promise not to hurt my brother,”

Gladys nodded, her face softening in that fake way to try and trick Betty into thinking she could believe her.

“If you do as I say, no more harm will come to your brother. I’ll let him earn our trust again. He won’t be kicked out of the family,”

That’s not exactly what she wanted for him but keeping him alive would be enough for now.

“Can he come home with me once he’s out of the hospital?”

“Of course, I’ll leave your brother in your care, but I’ll have his friends checking in on him as well,” 

Betty figured as much. She knew both of them would be under a magnifying glass now, ensuring neither of them stepped out of line.

She took a deep breath and braced herself. “What do you need me to do?” 

“You go to school with my Jughead, don’t you?”

Betty nodded. Yes, she went to Riverdale High, just like all the kids in town did. Betty had known Jughead since they were kids but they ran in completely different circles and had never interacted one on one. Besides, he seemed to stay away from anyone affiliated with the Serpents and his mother all together.

“Then this should be easy for you,” Gladys said, sitting up taller in her chair, more chipper than a woman clad in leather should be. “I want you to befriend him,”

Betty frowned, not at all expecting  _ that _ .

“Mrs. Jones?” Betty asked, not understanding. Even though Glady and FP weren’t together, rumor had it she wouldn’t give him a divorce, so technically she was still Mrs. Jones. Betty had only ever addressed her as such.

“It shouldn’t be too hard. He’s a nice young man and you’re a very beautiful young woman,”

“I don’t,” she swallowed, there had to be more, “I don’t understand, I’m sorry,”

She watched with a frowned brow as Gladys stood and walked around the desk, coming to lean back against it and looking down at Betty. Betty tried not to pull away as Gladys reached forward and stroked her hair.

“So lovely… the spitting imagine of your mother,”

So Betty had heard. 

Gladys sighed when Betty didn’t respond to her compliment. “My dear husband has turned my children against me. I need you to befriend my son, get close to him, and when you’re in the house, see what you can find. I want my kids back. I want to show them their father isn’t as changed as he’d like them to believe,”

Jughead didn’t associate with Serpents, and even though Betty didn’t wear a leather jacket, everyone knew who her brother was, who her parents were. She may as well  _ be _ a Serpent.

“But um…” How was she meant to say that to his mother, the leader of said Serpents?

Gladys finally pulled her hand away and Betty let out the breath she’d been holding.

“He and I… we aren’t really friends. We don’t have anything in common,”

Gladys shook her head. “It’s for you to figure out, Betty… I’m sure you can think of a way, for your brother,”

Gladys walked back around to her side of the desk, the distance making Betty feel a tiny bit better.

Gladys could probably tell she was tense and worried because she offered some advice. “If my boy is even the smallest bit like his father, then trust me… he has a thing for girls that look like you,”

Betty felt the bile creeping up her throat again. She understood very well what Gladys was insinuating. 

“FP and your mother dated for a while… back in high school,”

Yes, Betty had also heard something about that. But what Glady was suggesting was for Betty to get close to her son on looks alone, which was definitely not something she was comfortable with. Not that Gladys cared about Betty’s comfort level in all this.

She still didn’t understand though, and while she figured out a way to ask as such, it seemed Gladys was reading her mind.

“You’ll figure out a way to get close to my son, which I promise you won’t be as hard as you think it will, then when you have his trust you’ll be able to snoop around my husband’s office and bring me something I can use against him,”

She hated to think about what would happen if she failed at this. “What if Jughead doesn’t invite me to his house?” What if she couldn’t find anything bad on his father?

“He will, eventually. Until then you can catch me up on what my son’s been up to,”

So that was it? The big bad queen missed her children?

“I’ll call for you when I want an update, or you’ll come to me if you have any pressing news.”

Looking at the Serpent Queen, Betty desperately tried to figure it out. Gladys wanted Betty to get close to Jughead so she could spy on Sheriff Jones… so she could show her children that their father wasn’t as good of a man as he claimed to be.

How was she meant to do that?

Betty knew Sheriff Jones had been in the Serpents, but once his wife took over, he had taken their children to the North Side and fixed himself up. He was the sheriff now and well respected by most of the town, sans for the Serpents of course.

Sheriff Jones had always been nice to her when she was a child, she remembered that. She didn’t want to hurt him or his kids. 

“Betty,” Gladys said, getting her attention. “You’re free to go,”

Betty nodded, still feeling dazed.

“I would thank me if I were you… I’m allowing your brother to go home, so you can look after him, and I’m giving him another chance… All I need you to do is be nice to my boy… Maybe you’ll even have fun,”

She was wrong. Lying wasn’t something Betty wanted to do. Jughead didn’t deserve it, neither did his dad. But if it was what it took to keep her brother safe, she would do it. Of course she would. 

“Thank you, Mrs. Jones,” she said, raising from her seat and heading to the door.

“Give my best wishes to your brother, will you?”

Betty stopped in her tracks and turned to give Gladys a nod, although she knew the kind words were really a threat.

She hurried out of the bar, feeling like she couldn’t breathe.

Her chest hurt and tears threatened to sting her already sore eyes. She bit hard into her lip and dug her nails into her palms, trying to focus her emotions into physical pain.

She could do this. She _ had _ to. 


	3. Betty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Helpful Notes:**  
>  \- Malachai is a Serpent.
> 
>  **Chapter Warnings:**  
>  \- Mentions of sexual harassment.
> 
> Edited by PeaceBlessingsPeyton.

Betty spent the rest of her Saturday at the hospital with Charles. He had asked her what Gladys wanted but she deflected the questions by telling him she just wanted to spend time with him and help him heal so he could be back to his old self as quickly as possible. 

Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs visited them, bringing some comfort food from Pops. They were amazing friends.

On Sunday, Charles was discharged and Betty took him home, getting him set up in front of the television on the couch and making some soup and sandwiches. She fussed over him, not stopping until he grabbed her wrist and made her stop.

She looked at him, fighting the urge to cry from how bad he looked. She loved him so much, more than anything or anyone else, and it tore her up that he was in this situation, in this _ life _ . He was worth so much more than the one he was born into. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I’m so sorry I got us into this,”

She shook her head, the tears falling once again.

“Come here,” he said, tugging her down.

She tried to be careful so as not to hurt him, knowing his ribs were bandaged up and he was in pain, but she needed him, coming to sit beside him on the couch and hiding her face against his chest.

He held her, his hand in her hair, placing a soft kiss to the top of her head. He had always been her safe place, but now her safe place felt broken.

“I was so scared I’d lose you,” she said, sobbing into the clean shirt she’d helped him into.

“My love,” he sighed. “I know… I’m so sorry I fucked up.”

She shook her head against him. He was just trying to give them a better life. She knew he always did whatever he had to for them.

“Please don’t do anything like that ever again,” she pleaded, letting herself be weak, letting him take care of her for a moment until she pulled herself together again and went on being the strong one.

“I promise,” he told her, holding her tighter. “It’s going to be okay,”

.

Later, as Charles rested on the couch, Betty sat on the floor in front of him, between the couch and coffee table, not wanting to be any further from him than she had to be. The two watched television in silence, both with other things on their minds.

Charles had asked her again what it was she had to do now for Gladys, but she told him not to worry. It wasn’t anything horrible. She just wanted him to get better and not think about that now.

They had been icing his face and parts of his body like the nurse instructed, and he was already looking a bit better. Thanks to the barbaric initiation process of the Serpents, it seemed they knew how to beat a person up without doing any super serious damage.

That was a plus, Betty thought to herself sarcastically. 

The loud knock on their trailer door made her jump out of her skin, wondering who it might be. The way her heart started to pound reminded her of Friday night, now remembering more of the details. She would never forget the terror she felt, not for the rest of her life.

“Open up, Cooper,” their visitor said, and Betty’s stomach dropped. 

She knew the voice on the other side of the door. She had been too out of her mind on Friday night, but now she remembered it was the same voice in her ear while she watched her brother getting beaten half to death.

_ Malachai. _

Malachai had been the one who came for her, who took her down to the basement, and was one of the men holding her back, making her watch.

She looked at Charles as Malachai banged on the door and told them to open up again. 

“It’s okay, let him in,” Charles told her.

With unsteady strides Betty went over to the door. She hated Malachai. He was her brother’s age and one of his friends, so she saw him often, but he always gave her the creeps. Betty guessed Charles didn’t really have a choice, you ran with the group you were assigned to and usually it went by age. Malachai and Charles had initiated together six years ago and had worked together ever since.

She opened the door and he smiled widely at her, like nothing was wrong. “There she is,” he said, making his way inside without an invitation. He thrust Charles’ leather jacket into Betty’s hands, returning it from wherever it had been since Friday night.

A chill ran down her spine, the bruises on her arms that he had inflicted beginning to ache. She was sure he reveled in her pain. There was so much darkness inside him.

“Oh,” he boomed. “You’re not looking so bad there, Cooper,”

Betty took a deep breath so she could stay calm, closing the door and hanging the jacket up. She knew Malachai was here to keep an eye on things and probably wouldn’t be leaving for a while, so she had to just accept the situation.

“Hey, man,” Charles greeted as Malachai kicked back on the recliner.

“What are we watching?” he asked. 

“Nothing,” Charles told him. “Put whatever you want on.”

Malachai did, nodding at Betty who was still standing there, fuming that he was invading their home. “Get me a beer, will you, darlin’?”

She rolled her eyes as she turned, knowing it would be easier to just do as she was told for now.

She handed it to him and gave him her meanest bitch face. 

“What are you so pissy about?” he asked, opening his beer with ease. “You saved him, now I get to keep my best friend and you get to keep your brother… win, win,” he smirked. “Oh, and I hear the Jones kid will be winning too, huh?”

“Shut up,” she said through gritted teeth, coming to sit back down on the floor by Charles.

He laughed, unaffected by her distaste for him. Betty was pretty sure any attention she gave him, all of it bad of course, fueled whatever it was he felt for her. 

“What’s he talking about?” Charles asked.

“Nothing,” Betty said, but Malachai was already speaking, spilling Gladys’ plan. She wished she could just punch his stupid face.

“I’m going to make sure you follow through,” he said easily. “Shouldn’t be too hard, huh? A pretty girl like you is every teenage boy's dream come true. Just make sure you wear one of those cute little mini skirts when you go talk to him,” he winked.

Betty frowned with disgust, remembering the time he had grabbed the back of her naked thigh not long ago, telling her she was a tease and her skirt was too short.

“Man, come on, don’t talk to her like that,” Charles said.

Betty knew that Charles had to be careful. If he wasn’t in the situation he was in now he would probably use his fists and not just words to defend his sister. In the past, Malachai had always been sneaky around Charles when it came to Betty, but it seemed he wasn’t as worried about holding back his remarks anymore.

On a few occasions, whenever Charles wasn’t around, Malachai had made comments about taking her out on a date after she initiated. He seemed to be under the delusion that she wanted an older Serpent for a husband instead of making her own way in life.

He was disgusting and she hated his guts. He made her skin crawl. There was no way any of that was happening. Not even if hell froze over.

She kept her mouth shut though, letting Malachai drink their beer and watch their television. She knew Charles would have a lot to say about the deal she’d made with Gladys, but there was no getting out of it now, so what was the point of discussing it?

She finally had enough when Malachai requested a sandwich. 

“Make it yourself,” she said, Malachai simply smiling. “I’ll be in my room,” she told Charles, “I’ll help you to bed when you’re ready,”

She headed into her room, unsure what to do with herself and how she was going to execute everything coming up. She had been too busy worrying over Charles to think about it, but she knew she had to.

After preparing her things for the next day, she plopped down on her bed and texted the group chat with her friends. She filled them in briefly on the whole Gladys situation, knowing she’d probably go to them for help when the time came. 

When Malachai yelled his goodbye to her and she heard the front door close, she came back out to the once again safe space of her living room.

Betty cleaned up the coffee table and kitchen, the silence between Charles and her growing extra awkward.

“Let me help you to bed,” she told him as he began to slowly make his way to a seated position on the couch.

“Nah,” he refused, “come sit here with me first,”

She did, sighing contently when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him, the two of them sitting back on the couch the way they had many other times.

She stared at the television, closing her eyes when he kissed the top of her head lovingly. “You know you don’t have to do what she asked you to do, right?”

How was that even true? Of course she had to. Gladys wasn’t going to magically let this go.

“I’ll think of something else,” he offered.

She had to be strong and not let on how she really felt about all this. Pulling away, she gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “It’s fine, all I have to do is figure out a way to be friends with her son,”

He looked at her with concern, his eyes now both more open than they had been even a day ago. “I know you, baby sis, you aren’t a fake person,”

“Who says I have to be fake?” she asked, forcing the easy smile to stay on her face.

He seemed to let that part go for the time being, moving onto the next thing. “They’re insinuating you… do things you probably don’t want to do-”

“Charles,” she sighed, cutting him off before he could say anything else. How embarrassing. In the last couple of days three different people had now talked about how she had to get to Jughead using a romantic approach. “I can just be his friend,”

He smiled at her knowingly. “Guys and girls can’t be just friends like that,”

She rolled her eyes. What an outdated way of thinking. “Toni and I are friends with Fangs and Sweet Pea,”

This time he gave a short humorous laugh. “Yeah, but both Toni and Fangs are gay and SP has known you too long… _ And  _ he knows I’ll kick his ass if he ever tries anything with you,”

She sighed again. She knew the easiest way to Jughead would be through a romantic approach, but it didn’t matter, she was already befriending him under false pretenses, and that was just wrong on both a friendship and relationship level.

“It’ll be okay, I’ll be careful,” she told him, not wanting him to worry.

In reality, Gladys could have asked for something much worse. 


	4. Betty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited by PeaceBlessingsPeyton.

Sitting at one of the small corner tables in the student lounge, Betty bounced her knee up and down, looking over at Jughead with his friends. The group seemed to be talking about something fun,, laughter erupting every few moments and a generally good vibe surrounding them.

Anxiety swirled in her gut. How the hell was she going to get to him? She wasn’t friends with any of them. She had no in.

Betty hardly noticed Toni was in the longue until she plopped down in the seat across from her and said, “Hey, Coop,”

“Hey,” Betty frowned, biting her lip, continuing to watch the tall, dark haired boy, kicked back on the sofa chair, munching on a bag of chips. 

“What are you doing?” Toni asked, making Betty snap out of her train of thought and look at her.

“How am I meant to do this?” Betty asked her friend in frustration. She had filled her three best friends in last night through text briefly, so Toni knew the predicament she had found herself in.

“Have you thought about just going over and asking him out on a date?”

_ Huh! _

Betty stared at her with a bored expression. “Yeah right… Come on, Toni, help me. We don’t have anything in common. I run the school newspaper… he’s on the football team… that’s literally the closest connection I can think of,”

Toni shrugged, taking a sip from her take out coffee cup. “Maybe that’s your way in, say you’re doing a piece on the players,”

Betty thought about it.  _ Maybe.  _ It was at least better than her first suggestion of just asking him out. How ludacris. 

She continued to think. She had been so in her head all day. She’d spent the morning keeping it together and setting Charles up for a day of rest at home, but as soon as she left their trailer it felt like the weight of the world was crashing down on her.

Their lives suddenly felt so much more fragile than usual. It felt like if she took one wrong step the thin ice underneath her would crack and she’d take Charles down with her as well.

Betty was right, she didn’t have any direct connections with Jughead, but there were some indirect ones.

Sweet Pea was on the football team with Jughead, although he did that more for getting his aggression out than he did for making friends, and she’d seen no indication of them ever interacting off the field. Besides, if she asked for SP’s help he’d probably just shove her in Jughead’s path and say something embarrassing.

He was definitely out.

Fangs was hooking up with Kevin, who was friends with Jughead. So maybe she had something to work with there. 

And Toni was a cheerleader who also had a thing going on in private with the head cheerleader.

There had to be something between Toni and Fangs that she could work with - but what? 

“Will you let me know if you think of something?” Betty asked Toni defeatedly, dropping her head down across the backs of her forearms on the table. 

“My idea of just asking him out isn’t good enough?”

Betty wasn’t like Toni, she couldn’t just go up to people and make things happen. Sure, she wasn’t a complete prude, but having an older scary brother meant most guys were too afraid to approach her in that way. She didn’t have too much experience with guys, and definitely none with actual dating.

She lifted her head enough to look at Toni with a pout, making Toni soften. “Okay, I’ll brainstorm and try to think of something else,”

Betty sighed, feeling like this was never going to work.

.

When she got home she was glad to see Joaquin there with her brother instead of Malachai. He was much nicer and not at all creepy. After giving them both hugs hello, Betty got to work on dinner in the kitchen.

Joaquin joined her, offering his help and apologising for the way things had turned out with her brother. She knew if he didn’t follow orders he’d be in a similar situation, so she couldn’t blame him.

So she just thanked him and invited him to stay for dinner. After all, he had been looking after Charles for most of the day, even if it was because he was ordered to.

Betty was happy to see Charles get up on his own, the three of them eating at the small kitchen table and actually having a pretty nice time.

It felt good not to have to worry for a little while.

But of course, after she cleaned up and helped Charles to his bedroom, she was left all alone with her thoughts again, and the stress resurfaced tenfold.

.

Standing in the girls’ locker room the next day, in a cheerleading uniform, Betty had never felt less like herself.

Toni clapped excitedly. “Oh my god, you look amazing!”

“No. No way,” she said, shaking her head.

Toni’s smile turned to a frown. “You asked me for a solution and I came to you with the perfect one!”

Betty sighed. Even though she had a negative attitude towards Toni’s plan, her friend had a point. This was better than anything she could think of.

A half an hour ago, while Betty was beating herself up over the fact that yet another day had gone by and she hadn’t gotten any closer to Jughead, Toni came to her with something that just seemed to fall into her lap.

Ethel, one of the other cheerleaders, had injured her knee and Cheryl was freaking out about needing a replacement as soon as possible for the upcoming game on Friday night. Toni had volunteered Betty as a substitute. Under duress, Cheryl agreed, putting it upon Toni to make sure Betty was ready by game time.

“I can’t do this,” Betty said. She didn’t know the first thing about being a cheerleader.

Toni walked around her, checking her out and making her feel a little self conscious. She was sure she looked ridiculous. 

“You absolutely can,” Toni encouraged, “You’re the one that helped me practice before I tried out. You’ve already learned all the cheers, you just need a little refresher,”

Betty huffed. Unfortunately, what Toni said was true. About a year ago Toni had wanted to join the squad. She made Betty help her practice for the auditions, and then when she got in, she also made Betty help her learn all the sets. Toni had wanted Betty to audition and join too, but it just wasn’t her thing. Toni had photography and cheering, Betty had the paper.

“And best of all,” Toni said cheerfully, “Ethel is Jughead’s cheerleader… which of course means, now you are,”

“What does that even mean?” Betty asked, a little worried now that she actually had a reason to talk to him.

“It means you decorate his locker on game days, maybe bake him something, make sure he’s feeling the love. Get creative,”

Betty bit her lip. She had to stop complaining and be thankful for the opportunity. She could do this, she  _ had _ to.

“Don’t worry, Cher and I will make sure you’re ready and you’ll be perfect!” Toni clapped again. She had always wanted Betty to do this with her.

And so began two and a half exhausting days of taking care of her brother, trying to get all her school work done, learning the cheers she had to perform on Friday night, and freaking out over officially interacting one on one with Jughead Jones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, just a quick note to say sorry about the length of this chapter. It's the shortest out of the whole story because I just didn't feel it went well with chapter 3 or 4, so I made it it's own thing. I know we've been on Betty a lot but we have Jughead next! I'm so excited for you guys to see his thoughts on Betty and for them to finally start interacting :)


	5. Jughead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited by PeaceBlessingsPeyton.

After dropping Jellybean off at school, Jughead drove down the street to the high school, high fiving and saying hello to his peers as he walked through the parking lot and into the building. Game days always had everyone in a good mood, and he guessed that was better than everyone being in a shitty one.

Football wasn’t his favorite thing, but he was good at it, it was going to get him a scholarship, and most importantly, it made his old man happy. All three were very good reasons to play.

He had been too distracted saying hello to a teammate in the halls to notice the gorgeous blonde standing in front of his locker, stopping abruptly when he suddenly did.

_ Betty Cooper. _

What was Betty Cooper doing in front of his locker?

He gulped a little nervously as the rest of the school fell away from his vision, the students around them becoming a blur.

She looked beautiful, but that was nothing new, she always did. She was wearing a cheerleading uniform, her hair up in a high ponytail, and she was holding a small box with both hands.

He glanced at her full pink lips as she smiled. “Happy game day,” she said, extending her arms and offering him the box.

He looked down at it as he accepted the gift. It was pink and had a yellow bow on top. Confused, he noticed his locker was also decorated. He’d heard about Ethel’s injury so he wasn’t expecting to find anyone at his locker this morning. Ethel usually just left his baked treat in his locker anyway.

“Ah, thanks,” he said, opening it. Inside were two cupcakes, a vanilla and a chocolate, with his jersey number written on top of each in blue icing. “Wow,” He wondered if she made them or bought them, they looked great.

“I wasn’t sure if you were more of a chocolate or vanilla fan,”

“Definitely chocolate,” he replied, sounding a little absentminded.

He looked back up at her from the cupcakes. She seemed nervous, her teeth catching her bottom lip. He had never pictured her as someone who would get nervous. In his eyes, Betty Cooper was a smart and confident person, more beautiful than anyone he’d ever set his eyes on, and one hundred percent  _ off limits _ .

Not only was she out of his league and would probably turn him down if he ever asked her out or approached her at a party, but she was also part of a life he promised his dad he wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole.

His dad had gone through a lot to get him and Jellybean out of the Southside and there was no way he was going to spit in his face by chasing after a Serpent girl. No matter how lovely she was.

“Ah… not that I’m not grateful for my cupcakes, but what exactly is going on here?” he laughed shortly, unable to keep the smile off his face now that they were talking directly.

It was crazy how you could go your whole life attending the same school as someone and never talk to them one on one.

“Cheryl didn’t tell you?”

He shook his head. He still wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but he felt fucking fantastic. Betty had been his secret crush for a while now. It was so nice to  _ actually _ be interacting with her.

“I’m filling in for Ethel, just until she’s well enough to come back,”

“That’s really sweet of you,” he offered. She always did seem like a nice person, although he never pictured her as a cheerleader.

The two stood in silence for a moment and he noticed that maybe she was feeling a little awkward. Maybe he wasn’t saying enough because he was still so shocked.

“Well, thank you so much, really, this is a nice surprise,” he said. “I can’t imagine Cheryl was easy to deal with,”

She laughed. Everyone knew how Cheryl was. Betty was brave to join the squad and help out like that. He knew her good friend Toni was on the squad as well so that was probably where the connection came in.

“Did I do okay with your locker?” Betty asked, turning to look at it.

He tried not to stare at how gorgeous she was. But, it wasn’t just her natural beauty and feminine figure that made Betty attractive though. It was the way she stood up for herself and her friends, the way she only ever seemed to be sincere when he heard her talking, and the way her voice sounded more poetic than any song he’d heard while she gave speeches or talked during class.

She was also super smart. He’d never admit it to any of his friends, but he read every one of her articles she published in the school’s newspaper. He was more of a fiction fan but he still read her stuff. Sometimes her talent even inspired his own writing. 

“It’s perfect,” he smiled again when she looked at him for confirmation. “Will you take a picture with me so I can post it? Cheryl will be pissed if we don’t, trust me,”

“Oh,” she said, seeming surprised, “yeah, let’s do it.”

He handed her back the box, taking his phone out of his pocket and turning his camera to the front facing view.

It should have been awkward, considering they weren’t friends at all, but he easily put his arm around her shoulders and they posed for a selfie in front of the locker, the decorations visible behind them.

Someone whistled at them in the hallway and when he pulled back he noticed she was blushing a soft pink shade that matched her lip gloss. She was adorable.

He cleared his throat and showed her the picture. “We make a cute couple, huh?” he asked, surprised at himself for sounding so smooth. Girls expected him to have lots of experience considering he was fairly popular, but the truth was, he wasn’t really that kind of guy.

“Yeah, we do,” she replied, catching him off guard and handing him back the cupcakes. “Tag me in it? BettySnooper.”

“Clever,” he grinned. 

The bell rang, suddenly everything around them coming back into focus. 

“So ah, I’ll see you at the game later, yeah?” she asked sweetly, smoothing out her skirt.

He hated to admit it, but this was better than any fantasy he’d ever had of her. The guys always made a big fuss over how hot all the girls looked in their crop tops and short shirts, and while Jughead admitted they did look nice, he never really understood all the fuss until now.

“See you at the game,” he replied, feeling the stupid grin widen across his face.

What the hell was he doing?

She gave him a wave as she began to walk away, turning as she left and leaving him there a little bewildered.

He couldn’t believe this was happening.

.

After the game, Jughead sat across from his dad and Jellybean at their regular booth in Pop’s. It was tradition. His dad worked a lot but he always made sure he made it to all the home games, then they had a late family dinner at Pop’s, win or lose.

Tonight was thankfully a win, putting his dad in a good mood, his arm around Jellybean as he recalled one of Jughead’s better plays of the night. His dad was his hero and even when he had a bad game, he never gave him a hard time about it, just offered suggestions for improvement. 

Jughead was only half listening though, looking down at his phone hidden under the table.

He had started following Betty on Instagram during first period, right before tagging her in the post. It already had a bunch of likes and a couple comments, fire emojis from Cheryl, a red heart from Toni, and heart eyes from Jellybean. He never really gave a shit about social media, he had only really made an account to shut Cheryl up and because Jellybean liked tagging him in cute animal pictures.

He glanced up at Jellybean from across the table and she gave him a knowing smile. His little sister was the most important person in his life and the two of them had a connection that was beyond words.

Jellybean thought Betty was really pretty and she had been on his ass lately about getting a girlfriend. She complained that she was tired of having to cancel plans with her friends just because he was a loser and didn’t have a girl to hang out with instead.

Not to be  _ that _ guy, but Jughead was sure he could get a date if he wanted, it’s just that he would much rather stay at home, watching old movies with Jellybean.

Looking back down at his phone, he opened the private chat he’d started with Betty. He’d originally just thanked her for the delicious cupcakes but their conversation had continued throughout the day, just about football and her being a cheerleader now. She told him how her best friend Toni wanted them to join together and how she felt bad saying no when they really needed her now.

He was glad she was doing it and felt damn lucky Cheryl had assigned her to him. Although it did just make his life more complicated.

He realized he hadn't heard Cheryl bitching about anything over on the other side of the diner, so things must have gone well on Betty’s first night. He did notice Betty wasn’t over with the other girls though, or with any of her friends from the Southside.

**Jughead:** _ You’re not coming to Pop’s to celebrate? _

He looked back up at his dad to pretend he was listening while he waited for Betty to respond.

“Well, JB and I will leave you to be with your friends, son… I’ll just go over and pay,” his dad said, wrapping up their night.

Jellybean finished off her shake, always so smug and perspective. “So, who are you texting?” she asked bluntly.

“I’m not texting anyone,” he lied.

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah right,”

He felt his phone vibrate in his hand and checked.

**Betty:** _ Unfortunately no :( I had to help my brother with something. _

As he contemplated what he wanted to say next, he heard his dad call Jellybean’s name and looked up to see him waving her over to the exit.

“Bye, loser, love you,” she said, sliding out of the booth.

He smiled at her. “Yeah, love you too, you little shit. See you at home,”

He watched his sister and dad leave, focusing his attention back to his phone. This was his chance to ask her out, see if maybe she wanted to grab food tomorrow so they could talk about how she was doing in her new cheerleading role. 

But did he really want that? 

What if she said no? Or even worse, what if she said yes?

“Jug!” he heard Archie, looking up to see his friend waving him over to where a bunch of the other guys were.

“Get your ass over here, Jones,” Reggie encouraged, making Jughead laugh.

He tucked the phone back into his pocket and went over to his friends, deciding to try and put Betty out of his mind for the rest of the night.

.

But of course he couldn’t, opening up their conversation again when he was alone in his room later that night. It felt too weird to message her now, after so many hours had gone by, so instead he went to her profile, looking at some of her photos.

He had never seen any of her stuff since her account was private, but now that they were following each other, he could see everything.

She was a modest person. Most of her pictures were shots of her friends, posts about the school newspaper, but there were some of her as well. She had quite a few pictures up with a slightly older blonde guy, who must’ve been her brother.

Jughead knew he was a Serpent and probably a bad guy, but even through the photos he could tell the siblings had a close bond just like he and his own sister did. He already felt connected to Betty in that sense. He never understood how his friends who also had younger siblings found them to be annoying. Jughead would rather hang out with his sister than anyone else.

He stopped at an image that was just of Betty, taken from a low angle, her face turned to show off her pretty profile, her hair caught in the breeze.

He wondered exactly what he was doing looking at her pictures this way. As much as he was interested in her, he knew he  _ shouldn’t _ be. Between the promise he’d made his dad, and the life Betty was associated with, he had to make sure that his crush didn’t grow into something more.

Literally anyone else would be a safer option than Betty Cooper.


	6. Betty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited by PeacebBlessingsPeyton.

Betty woke up on Saturday morning probably earlier than anyone her age did. She groaned as she turned over in her bed and grabbed her phone, eager to see if Jughead had written anything else, her heart dropping in disappointed when she saw that he hadn’t.

She laid on her back and closed her eyes tightly, the overwhelming feeling of stress already taking over her body. She should have said something else after her last message, but now it was too late and it just felt weird to message him out of the blue.

She laid there a little longer, but knowing she had a million things she needed to get done, she got out of bed and got ready for the day.

Charles was still in his room and she was glad to see him actually taking the time to rest. He didn’t complain but she knew he must have been in a lot of pain. A week had gone by now and thankfully he was healing nicely.

Betty was so far behind on studying because of everything that had happened, so she spent the morning with her school books spread out on the kitchen table, getting caught up. She could hear Charles around in his room and the bathroom, showering and getting dressed.

She got his breakfast ready and sat back down with her books, not thinking much about it. She figured once he got up the two of them could just hang out at home together like they had been all week, maybe take a short walk so he could stretch his legs.

But when he joined her in the kitchen, he was dressed in his jeans and a dark cotton t-shirt, clean shaven and hair combed.

She frowned. Why wasn’t he in sweatpants like he had been all week?

“What are you doing?” she asked as he sat across from her and started eating.

He looked over at her, his brows pulling together. “I’m eating breakfast,” he answered. “Thanks by the way,”

She shook her head, confused. “ _ I mean _ , why do you look like you’re going out?”

Sure, he looked better, the swelling had gone down and his bruises were turning green as they healed, but he was still in no state to be going out. She definitely wasn’t okay with this.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, giving her a smile that she was sure he meant to be assuring.

She sat up, forgetting about her studies. “Charles,” she said seriously, “what the hell is going on?”

He finished chewing what was in his mouth and then sighed, a familiar look in his eyes indicating he really didn’t want to have the conversation that was coming. But he spoke anyway. “I gotta go meet with Gladys,”

For the millionth time this week, Betty’s heart dropped into her stomach, panic starting to ring in her ears.

“What for?” she asked, trying to keep her cool but so obviously failing.

He shoveled more food into his mouth, avoiding having to talk for a moment, but she just stared at him until he gave her an answer.

“I don’t know, to discuss what happens with me now, I guess,”

She swallowed, her worry and anger turning to sadness and very real fear. She didn’t want him to go, she wanted him to just stay home with her forever, where she was sure he’d be safe.

She was sure her expression said it all.

“I gotta go,” he told her. “But I don’t want you to worry, I’ll be fine.” With that, he finished off his final bite and took his plate to the sink.

Betty watched in despair as he put his leather jacket on. The last time she had seen him in it was right before it was ripped off and he was beaten violently while she was made to helplessly watch.

“Charles,” she said, her voice more weak and pleading than she even meant it to sound.

Sighing, he came over to her and smoothed her hair back with his hand, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. “I’ll see you later, my love,” he said, turning and not looking back as he walked out of the door and left her there all alone.

She cried, not knowing what to do and trying to fight the urge to run after him and beg him not to go.

She hadn’t felt this attached to him since she was much younger.

Knowing she’d go crazy if she was alone at home all day, she texted the group and told them to meet her at Pop’s.

.

Her friends kept her as distracted as they could, and she really loved them for trying so hard. They were trying to give her a sense of normal, although they all knew how serious the situation with her brother was.

“It’s all going to be okay, blondie,” Sweet Pea said, catching her off guard as he placed his giant hand over hers on the table. “We’ll always be here for you no matter what,”

She smiled at him. Sweet Pea was the least sensitive of the group, but he had his moments.

Toni and Fangs added their hands to the pile, Betty smiling in thanks.

“And I’m sure Charles is fine,” Fangs added. “Gladys probably just wants him back at work,”

He was probably right. Gladys had promised no more harm would come to Charles as long as Betty did as she was told, she was pretty certain Gladys would keep her word.

The four best friends spent the rest of their time trying to pretend things were normal again. Betty had almost believed it until she saw Malachai enter the diner, his wild eyes spotting her right away.

He grinned, wasting no time in walking over to their table.

“There you are,” he greeted, not even acknowledging the others. “Come on, darlin’, time to go,”

She frowned, recoiling in disgust.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re taking her?” Toni asked.

Although Sweet Pea was the largest in the group, he wasn’t the scariest. Toni, although even smaller than Betty, was definitely scarier than Sweet Pea when she wanted to be. Betty was glad to have her in her corner.

Malachai smiled at her but didn’t answer, grabbing the top of Betty’s arm so he could pull her out of the booth. “Trust me, the longer you keep the boss waiting, the worse it’ll be,”

_ Oh fuck,  _ Betty thought, knowing now she had to go.

Shaking Malachai’s hand off her, she got out of the booth willingly.

“I’ll go with you,” Toni offered, but Betty shook her head.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, “I’ll text you guys later.” 

.

Approaching Gladys’ office, Betty knocked like she did the last time and entered as soon as Gladys welcomed her in.

She knew Gladys probably wanted an update and that’s what she was here for. She was worried though, because she really didn’t have much. She thought her interaction with Jughead had gone well on Friday morning, but she wasn’t too sure now.

“How are things, Betty?”

“Okay,” she said, waiting.

Gladys seemed to want more, sighing when she didn’t get it. 

“How are things going with my son?” she probed. “Have you two gone on a date yet?”

“Um, no, but I did talk to him,” she said nervously. 

Gladys sat back in her chair, looking Betty over as if she was trying to figure something out. “Well I didn’t expect you to be in the house just yet, but I did expect… I don’t know,  _ something, _ ”

“I know he prefers chocolate to vanilla,” Betty said lamely, closing her eyes briefly when she realized how stupid she sounded. Gladys probably already knew which cake flavor her son preferred. “I mean… I got assigned as his cheerleader and I baked him some cupcakes,”

Gladys’ frown turned to a half smile. “My Jughead does love to eat… Thankfully he has his father’s metabolism,” she said in a reminiscent tone.

Betty knew she wanted more, and not wanting to give her any reason to hurt Charles, Betty took out her phone and pulled up the picture of the two of them, handing it over to Gladys. She was desperate to keep her brother safe, even though she felt like she was betraying Jughead even now by simply showing his mom the photo of them.

Gladys smiled more genuinely than Betty had ever seen. She wondered if she really did miss her kids, if a woman like Gladys could ever really be a loving mother. Sheriff Jones didn’t seem to think so.

“He’s so handsome, isn’t he?” Gladys asked, glancing up at Betty. “Looks almost exactly like his father did back in high school,”

Betty remembered Gladys’ comment about Betty looking like her mother, and she wondered if Gladys thought of them when she looked at the picture of her and Jughead. Did Gladys hate her mother because she had dated her husband back then?

Betty couldn’t really remember if her parents were actually friends with the Jones’ or if it was all gang business.

Gladys handed the phone back to Betty. “You wouldn’t happen to have any pictures of my baby girl, would you?”

“Ah…” Betty pulled up his Instagram, opening up an adorable picture of Jughead with his arm around his little sister, Jughead midlaugh as the young girl looked up at him adoringly. It reminded her of Charles and herself.

She handed the phone back to Gladys and watched the woman’s hard features soften even more. “Can you send me this?” she asked after a moment.

Betty nodded. “I just need your number,”

“Malachai will give it to you when he takes you home,”

Betty took her phone back when Gladys handed it over the desk.

Not wanting to let this opportunity pass her by, Betty gathered up all the strength she had and asked, “What was my brother doing here earlier?”

Gladys seemed surprised but impressed by Betty having the guts to ask.

“Your brother is a good earner and I need him back at work as soon as possible,” she explained. “He returned all the money he stole, but now he needs to pay back all that interest,”

Betty wanted to fight her on it, but she knew better.

“May I go?” Betty asked, sensing and hoping they were done.

Gladys nodded, redirecting her attention to some paperwork.

Betty got up to leave but stopped when Gladys said her name, making her turn.

“Good work so far, but I expect more progress next time we talk,”

She nodded in understanding, eager to just get out of there.

As soon as she pulled the door shut behind herself, she pressed her back to it and felt the stone in the pit of her stomach getting bigger. This was all so messed up. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying her hardest not to cry and scream.


	7. Betty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited by PeaceBlessingsPeyton.

Betty thought she was in good shape, but Cheryl ran a tight ship at cheerleading practice, and she found herself grabbing her water bottle more often than she thought she’d need to. She knew from Toni’s schedule that practice was three days a week after school, the first one being on Monday’s, so she had rearranged her days at the newspaper to accommodate her new cheerleading responsibilities.

The football team also trained on Monday’s, so whenever weather permitted, Cheryl liked to hold their practices out on the field as well. Betty hated to admit it, but all this extra exercise was actually helping with her stress.

After practice, Betty watched the three younger girls that were on the bleachers with curiosity. The one on the right was Jellybean, she recognized her from Jughead’s Instagram photos, and the other two looked to be the same age. They each had school books out and snacks, talking and hanging out. Betty had noticed them during practice but didn’t have much time to think about it until now.

Before she gave herself any more time to get into her own head, Betty made her way over to them, the three stopping whatever they were doing and looking at her, like three very cute deer caught in headlights.

“Hi!” she said with a smile, offering a short wave. “I’m Betty,”

“We know who you are,” Jughead’s sister said, making Betty raise her eyebrows in surprise.

“You’re the new cheerleader,” the one in the middle said. “You’re so pretty,”

Betty gave a soft flattered laugh. “Thank you,”

The girls continued to watch her. Betty turned to look out at the field. The guys were still running drills. She turned back around with an idea.

“Jellybean, right?” Betty asked. “Your brother Jughead’s on the team?”

Jellybean nodded.

“Do you all have older brother’s on the team?”

“My brother Reggie’s out there too,” the one said. “I’m Daisy,”

Betty smiled and extended her hand to shake each of theirs. The last girl’s name was Megan and she had an older sister on the cheerleading squad with Betty.

“You girls go to the middle school down the street, right?” she asked. 

They nodded in confirmation. 

“You wouldn’t happen to know if any of the other students at your school have siblings on the football team or in the cheer squad, would you?”

They told her they knew a few, at least three others, and Betty smiled, an idea for the school newspaper coming to mind. She didn’t often do fluff pieces but the faculty and parents liked them and it usually got a lot of buzz around school.

“I’m the editor on the school’s newspaper,” she told them. “I think I have a cool idea… if you girls think you might like to help me out with it…”

Their faces lit up eagerly and she smiled, feeling inspired. 

.

The next morning before school, Betty sat at one of the window booths in Pop’s, waiting anxiously. She had her notes laid out in front of her and had ordered herself a coffee.

When she saw a car pulling into the lot, she smiled in realization that it was Jughead and Jellybean. Her smile only grew when Jughead parked and Jellybean rushed him to the diner entrance. They were both really cute.

The bell chimed and Jellybean skipped ahead happily. Betty returned her smile, looking behind her at the handsome older brother.

He looked a bit sleepy, his dark hair a perfect mess and a lazy smile across his face. He was wearing dark clothes, his hands tucked into his jacket pockets, his height even more noticeable when he was next to his younger sister. She was pretty sure he might be taller than Charles even, maybe by an inch or so.

“Hi Betty!” Jellybean greeted as she slid into the booth across from her, Jughead following in next to her.

“Hi guys, thank you for coming,” she glanced at Jughead as she said the next part. “Sorry it’s kind of early,”

His striking smirk indicated that he didn’t mind. “It’s fine, I’m usually up this early anyway… It’s just that this one,” he messed up his sister’s hair and she giggled sweetly, “kept me up until late going on about the school newspaper and her new friend Betty,”

“Well I’m glad someone else is as interested in the piece as I am,” she said with a laugh.

She felt butterflies in her stomach and limbs at the way he kept looking at her, his smirk making her cheeks and chest feel hot. “Oh, I think she’s excited by more than just the paper,”

Betty bit her lip, hoping her cheeks didn’t look as red as they felt. Was he trying to flirt with her?

Before either of them could say anymore, their server came to take their orders. Jughead ordered a huge breakfast, extra eggs and bacon. It seemed his mother was right, he did like to eat. She wondered where he put it all.

“So,” Jughead said once the server left, “Jellybean filled me in a little bit last night but why don’t you tell me exactly how we can help,”

Betty sat up, placing her hands down flat over some of the notes she had laid out on the table. “Okay,” she began, “so I don’t know how much Jellybean told you since she and I talked yesterday, but I decided I’d interview the two of you in person, so I can get a feel for what this piece will actually focus on, then I can finetune it and speak to the rest of the siblings… or even just email the ones who don’t have time to meet,”

“Perfect,” Jughead nodded. “We’re happy to be your guinea pigs,” 

Betty really appreciated how much he seemed to listen and take this seriously, offering his help and time.

“I was also thinking maybe we could have my friend Toni take some photos too, or do you think it’s better I just ask for personal photos?” she asked Jellybean.

“Mmm, maybe a mixture of each… Whatever people are comfortable with,” she offered. “Jug and I will definitely volunteer as models for the professional photoshoot with your friend though,”

Betty smiled bigger and brighter as Jellybean continued to talk, feeling Jughead’s eyes on her the whole time. It was getting harder and harder to ignore the pull between them. 

Over the next hour, she asked the brother and sister all different kinds of questions, getting some really good feedback on what worked and what didn’t. It was coming together even better than she expected.

“This is really great, you guys, I can’t wait to get into the journalism lab later on to flush this out some more,”

“Let us know if you need any more help,” Jellybean offered. “And when you need us for that photoshoot,”

Betty smiled in thanks as they gathered their things to get to school.

“You need a ride?” Jughead asked.

“Oh, ah, yeah sure, that’ll be great, thank you,”

Like a sweetheart, Jellybean offered her the front seat and kept the conversation going during their drive to school. It was a short ride, but as soon as Jughead dropped his sister off, it suddenly felt longer.

The silence now that they were alone was a little awkward. Plus, Betty was trying not to smile when she looked over at him. She wished she didn’t find him so attractive and nice, then maybe this whole thing would be easier.

“So ah,” she said, wiping her palms over her black jeans. “Jellybean told me you like old movies?”

“She did, huh?”

“Yeah,” she nodded.

“Yeah, I do. Why do you ask?”

He pulled into the student parking lot and Betty tried her best to work up the courage to just do the thing Toni had suggested all along. “The drive-in is doing a Henry Koster double feature on Thursday night… Did you maybe want to go together?” she asked as he parked the car.

“Like… a date?” he asked, his eyes back on her again now that he wasn’t driving and had shut the car off.

God, she felt so stupid. No wonder guys found it hard to ask girls out. She felt so self conscious, and what if she had misinterpreted his kind nature as interest?

“If you want…” she shrugged. “Or just friends,”

He thought about it for a moment, Betty’s heart stopping as she waited. 

“Yeah, okay,” he answered.

She let out a deep breath and the two of them got out of the car, walking into the school together until they separated, their lockers in different halls.

She was so excited for the rest of the morning, but her excitement began to turn to dread, not sure if Thursday would be an actual date or just a friend's thing. It’s not that it mattered, just friends would probably be better anyway.

After school, she went to the journalism lab to work on her new piece, trying to put Jughead out of her mind, but it was hard when everything she looked at in her notes related to him.

When a knock came from the door and she looked up, Jughead was already walking in.

“Oh,” she said, surprised. “Hi,”

“Hey,” he said. “Okay if I join you?”

“Of course,” she replied, pushing her chair out so she could turn to him as he got closer.

“I won’t keep you from your work for too long, I gotta go pick JB up anyway… but ah, I was thinking,”

She swallowed and told herself not to panic. Maybe whatever he wanted to talk about wouldn’t be bad. She had to stop being so negative.

“This morning, when you asked me about Thursday…”

“Yeah,” she said, listening and feeling worse still.

“Well I’ve been thinking about it all day and I just feel like a jerk for not asking you first,”

“Oh,”

Okay, so it wasn’t bad at all, and he  _ was _ interested.

“Yeah, I just didn’t want you to think that I  _ don’t _ want it to be a date,” he explained, seeming a little nervous. “I do… I mean, I do want it to be a date… Can I pick you up?”

Trying not to grin because she felt so giddy to be going on a date with a boy she liked, she spoke instead. “Why don’t we meet at Pop’s and order take-out?”

His expression changed, his whole body going from rigid to relaxed, a handsome smile spreading across his face as he nodded in agreement.

“Okay, well, I gotta get going,” he said, pointing a thumb behind himself to the door he’d entered from. “I’ll see you,”

She bit her lip, nodding and feeling mesmerized by his lingering presence as he left. For a moment she felt so happy.

As soon as the door closed behind him though, any excitement she felt disappeared, replaced by a much heavier guilt and despair. 

Jughead wasn’t just a cute boy she liked, he was the person she was going to lie to and gather information on for his mother.

She wondered if the tables were reversed if he’d do the same thing, for his sister.

She knew it wasn’t right, and she was only trying to console her on feelings, but she wanted to believe that he’d understand and forgive her if he ever found out. She wouldn’t deserve his forgiveness of course, but maybe he would be the bigger person in all this.


	8. Jughead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited by PeaceBlessingsPeyton.

“My only night off and neither of you are going to stay home and keep me company,” FP stated, standing in the foyer with Jughead and Jellybean as they got their jackets on so they could leave.

Lying to his dad was not something Jughead did often, or maybe ever, so he had been pretty quiet around him for the last couple of days. He had told his dad that he was going to the drive-in with some friends, not that he had a date, and definitely not that said date was with  _ Betty Cooper _ .

“I can stay home, dad, if you don’t want to be alone,” Jellybean offered.

Their dad put his arm around Jellybean’s shoulders, kissing the top of her head. “No, I’m just teasing. You kids have fun. I’ve got some work I need to get done anyway. You call me when you want me to pick you up, okay?”

Jellybean nodded up at him and headed out of the front door when Jughead opened it, waiting for her.

“Don’t be too late, kid, gameday tomorrow,”

Jughead gave a quick nod and left, closing the door behind himself and feeling like he could finally breathe now that he was out of the house.

He and Jellybean got into the car and he began to drive in the direction of her friend’s house.

“I still don’t get why you can’t just tell dad you’re going on a date,” she said. “Betty’s nice. I’m sure he wouldn’t have a problem with it.”

Jellybean was only five when their dad moved them out of the Southside, so she really didn’t get it. He and their dad didn’t like to get into specifics with her and she didn’t ask often. Jughead wondered if she ever missed their mother, not that there was much to miss. She’d never been the kind of mom that children deserved anyway. 

“You know it’s complicated,” he said. “Just please make sure you don’t mention her infront of him,”

Jellybean nodded but he could tell she was a bit concerned about it still. On Monday night, when she was going on and on about Betty in the kitchen while he made their dinner and they ate, he made sure she didn’t continue any talk of this when their dad was home. He was honest in telling her that their dad didn’t want them associating with Serpents, they were dangerous. Jellybean had responded with,  _ “But Betty isn’t a Serpent,” _

She may be right. Betty wasn’t. But her family was and Jughead had no idea if that was a path Betty was planning to take as well. He knew the sad truth was that many people didn’t have a choice and the Serpents were their way of survival. He just hoped that wasn’t the case for Betty.

“I promised you I wouldn’t tell dad, and I won’t. I just think you worry too much,”

He smiled as he pulled into her friend’s driveway. “I’m not worried,” he half lied. He was worried, but obviously not enough to stay away from Betty. His interest in her had won out. She was so sweet and kind and he wanted this, wanted to see where it would take him. He’d never actually been this interested in any other girl before.

“Good luck on your date,” she teased before getting out, Jughead waiting until she was safely inside to drive over to Pop’s.

He parked his car and found Betty waiting by the front. She looked beyond beautiful, dressed in a pretty red floral dress and light washed denim jacket, her blonde hair down in soft locks.

“Hi,” he said as he approached eagerly. “Wow, you look really nice,”

She smiled a bright, wide smile, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Thank you, you look nice too,”

He smiled in return, stepping around her and getting the door. “Shall we?”

They stood at the counter as they ordered, hanging out while they waited.

“So, are you excited?” she asked, “For the double feature, I mean,”

Yeah, he was excited, but it had nothing to do with the double feature. Betty had the most perfect face, her big green eyes inviting him in so warmly that he wanted to know all her secrets. He had always thought she was pretty, but now that he was getting to know her she only grew more beautiful by the second.

“I am,” he responded, coherent enough to sprout off some  _ Harvey _ trivia and keep the conversation going. It was Henry Koster’s most well known work and it was an easy go to.

“I’m really glad I have someone to go see some classics with. My friends all just want to watch the new stuff that comes out,” he added.

They grabbed their food when it was done and continued their conversation back to his car. “Don’t get me wrong, I like new movies too,” he said, “but there’s just so many new ones each week that sometimes it’s hard to sort through the bad stuff and get to the good,”

Betty agreed, and he listened with great interest as she told him about some of her modern favorites. He hadn’t even heard about some of them.

“We’ll have to have some more movie nights,” he suggested, already interested in a second date. Although he wasn’t sure where they would watch these other movies. There was no way he could bring her home, too afraid his dad might stop home and find him with a Southsider. 

“Sounds like a good plan,” she shot back, making him happy that she wanted to continue this too.

It was so much easier being around her than he thought it would be. Their conversation flowed easily and he really loved being in her company. She wasn’t just kind, she was smart, and that was probably the biggest turn on of all.

They had their burgers and shakes, growing silent as they watched the first feature, Jughead glancing at her every once in a while and feeling awe in the way her eyes watched with such adoration.

They each made little comments here and there about a scene or an actor’s performance, but for the most part they watched in comfortable silence next to each other.

Every few seconds though, he thought about kissing her, wondering if he had the balls to do it, and hoping to god he didn’t make a fool of himself in the process.

When the credits hit, despite the comfortable silence, he still felt like he had to say something. “So ah, I know we just ate not too long ago, but I could always eat… You want to go grab some popcorn or something?”

Betty gave a soft laugh and nodded in agreement, the two getting out and beginning to walk to the concessions booth.

He felt so silly, unable to keep the smile off his face, even more unable to stop the rapid beating of his heart. He was sure she could hear it, it was so loud.

Considering it was a Thursday night, and older films were playing, there really weren’t many people around, so they got their popcorn pretty fast, heading back to his car in the direction they had come from.

His hand brushed against hers and, taking the opportunity, he tried his luck, gently taking her hand. His stupid smile grew when he felt her small delicate hand intertwine with his, his grip tightening slightly so they were in a full blown handhold.

It was silly, so innocent and childlike, but he’d never felt more strongly for any other girl. He’d never felt anything even close to how he felt about her right now.

He walked her to the passenger side door, placing the bucket of popcorn on the top of the car and feeling the warmth from their hands quickly creeping up his arm and across the rest of his body.

He had never wanted to kiss a girl more than he wanted to kiss Betty. Standing before him, he was pretty sure she was open to the idea, looking up at him and biting into her bottom lip.

_ Fuck it _ , he thought, taking his now free hand and placing it on the back of her neck, moving in before he lost his nerve and, to his surprise, kissing her more smoothly than he thought he had the capability to.

Betty returned the kiss, her soft and smooth lips moving against his. Was it even possible for someone to have lips this soft, he wondered. She was an angel.

She let his hand go, moving her touch up to his cheek.

Feeling like his heart was soring, he pulled back only enough to press his forehead against hers. He forgot even his own name for a moment, feeling only her, smelling only her, seeing only her.

When she pressed up onto her toes to reach his lips again, he smiled against the kiss. Her other hand came up around his shoulders while his wrapped around her waist, pressing closer than they had been.

This time he took the hint when her lips parted, deepening the kiss and tasting the sweetness that was so distinctly her. It reminded him of sunlight and blooming flowers, things he had never associated with a person before.

All it took was their first kiss and Jughead knew he was done for.

When their kiss broke, he smiled at the sound of her soft sigh, and reluctantly stepped back when he felt her break their embrace.

She smiled up at him. In a daze, he opened the door for her and waited until she got in, grabbing the popcorn and coming around to his own side.

There was no way he was going to be able to concentrate on the next film. No way.

He cleared his throat and heard her giggle, looking over at her.

“You’re a good kisser, Juggie,” she said, making him raise his eyebrows at the nickname he already loved.

“Juggie, huh?”

She was so adorable, looking up as if in thought and making a humming noise. “Yep. I think it suits you,”

“I like it,” he admitted. “Only because you make it sound so good,”

“Keep sweet talking like that and I might just have to come over there,”

God damn it, was she sexy. He was already melting into his seat.

“Hey, there’s plenty of room over here, and I’m not above throwing this popcorn into the back seat,”

She shook her head. “There’s no need for that,” Taking the bucket from him, she placed it at her feet and he watched in awe as she elegantly climbed over the gears and into his lap.

How exactly had he gotten this lucky, he wondered, looking up at the pretty blonde glow surrounding her stunning face.

Not wasting a second, he cupped her face with one hand and wrapped his arm around her waist with the other, their lips coming together like two magnets that just couldn’t stay away.

“This okay?” she asked against his lips after a moment, the two settled into their new position very nicely.

“Very okay,” he assured, kissing her again.

.

After the film that neither of them paid any attention to, Jughead drove Betty home. It felt very strange driving into Sunnyside Trailer Park after not having been there since he was much younger, but he tried not to think about it, he was simply taking Betty home and this just happened to be where she lived.

Even in the dark, it looked like how he remembered. Everything was kind of falling apart, fixed too many times, but with lots of character and love. A lot of families lived here and even back as a child he remembered how much of a sense of community the old place had.

“I ah,” Betty began, “I’m sorry if I came on really strong back there… I feel a bit embarrassed.” 

“What?” he asked, all his attention on her as they sat parked in front of her place. “No, Betty, not at all… Please - I really like kissing you, and it… it was really nice,” he smiled, reminiscing already.

Although she was in his lap and they were both just a small move away from taking things further - his hand traveling up her thigh, under her skirt, or her grinding down onto his obvious erection - they hadn’t. Their makeout session was special and romantic and he was just so grateful for having been able to have such a good time with her.

“Really?” she asked.

He replied by leaning over the center console and giving her another soft kiss.

She looked more assured after their kiss. “Thanks, Juggie,”

“Of course,”

“I should go,” she sighed, looking towards her door.

He nodded, not really wanting to part with her but knowing he had to go home. “I ah, gotta hang out with my dad and sister after the game for a bit, but will you be around after?”

“Um, I have to check… I might need to hangout with my brother,” she explained. “But text me when you’re done?”

“I will,”

This time Betty leaned over the console, giving him a quick kiss. “I’ll see you at school though, right?”

“Yeah,” he breathed, smiling at her as she got out of the car and turned back half way, giving him a wave before going inside.

_ Wow, _ he thought. He had just had the best night of his life, and it was all because of the wonderful girl he never even thought he’d have a chance with.

Things had taken a strange turn in the last week, but he had never been happier. 


	9. Betty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited by PeaceBlessingPeyton

For the briefest of moments, Betty forgot all her troubles and woke up with a satisfied smile on her face, thinking of the boy she had spent the night with and how wonderful their date had been.

She actually liked him, she really, really liked him. And that night had been her first  _ actual  _ date. She felt really comfortable around him and when she wasn’t thinking, she was completely happy.

But before she even opened her eyes, she remembered who she was and the mess she was in, dread suddenly flooding her body, tension filling every muscle. She stared at the ceiling and blinked when the sting of the tears were too much.

Jughead was a sweetheart and she was the most horrible person in the world. She really did like him and she really did have a nice time with him, but that didn’t matter because the whole reason she even went on a date with him was because of the deal she made with Gladys.

She felt so guilty already, for having made out with him like that when her true motive was such a sinister one. She was going to hell. If Jughead ever found out, he’d surely hate her.

But she’d still do anything for her brother, so she had to be a big girl and deal with the fact that this was happening. She was doing this to save Charles, and no matter what, no one else would be more important than her own flesh and blood.

Reaching for her phone, she felt a mixture of excitement and even more guilt swirl in her stomach. Jughead had texted her a sweet good morning text, calling her beautiful and saying he couldn’t wait to see her.

Truth was, she was excited to see him as well. 

She replied to his text, sighing before dragging herself out of bed and getting into the shower.

The water didn’t do much to wash away any of her sins, and she was sure by the time the day was over she’d be covered in even more of them.

When she came out into the kitchen, dressed and ready for school, she found Charles cooking breakfast in his pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt.

“Well it’s good to see you pulling your weight around here,” she tried to joke, wanting to make herself feel better but not succeeding. She wasn’t much of a joker anyway.

Charles smiled at her over his shoulder and she tried to just think about how lucky she was that he was still here with her. Two weeks ago she almost lost him and she had to make sure that never happened again. He was her only family and he’d always come first.

“Grab me some plates,” he said.

Betty did, watching as he made her a plate of eggs and bacon. They sat together at the small kitchen table and she continued to watch him.

He tried to make things normal for her, she knew that, but inside he must be as terrified as she was, and it was hard knowing that. Her big brother was never scared.

“Hey,” she said, picking at her toast. “Wanna hang out tonight after the game?”

He smiled and she noticed him look down at the cheerleading uniform top she was wearing. “It’s weird, but the cheerleader look suits you,”

She frowned, not knowing if she should find that offensive or not.

He sighed. “Sorry, my love, I gotta work. Why don’t you hang out with Toni and the guys… Or Jughead?” he suggested, trying to act cool about it but she could tell it had eaten away at him having to wait this long to ask. “How was last night by the way?”

_ So casual _ , she thought to herself sarcastically. “It was nice actually. He’s a good guy,” she answered truthfully.

He gave her a smile in understanding. “You can invite him here if you want, so you guys can hang out,”

She bit her lip, playing with her barely eaten food. She hated herself. “Maybe,” she nodded.

While she did want to hang out with Jughead, she was a little disappointed not to get to hang out with Charles tonight. If she could, she would stay in the trailer with him forever and not let any of the world in. They were safe in here.

Looking at the old clock hanging on the wall, she knew she had to go so she could make it to Jughead’s locker before he did.

“I gotta get going,”

She hadn’t had time to bake anything like she did her first week, but she had an idea that she was pretty sure he’d like, maybe even more than the cupcakes.

.

Betty left the note in Jughead’s locker and went to the journalism lab to wait for him, nervous to see him again after last night, both in a good and a bad way.

She had felt kind of embarrassed to have been as forward as she was, and even though her deal with Gladys was what pushed her towards Jughead, it was her feelings for him that made her kiss him.

Before she had much more time to stew in her own mixed feelings and guilt, Jughead entered the room with an adorable smile on his face, wearing his letterman jacket. She had noticed he really only wore it on game days and it was cute. He wasn’t as into football as some of the other guys were, but he was definitely one of the best players.

“Hey,” 

“Hey,” she smiled.

“I got your note,” he said, lifting it up to show her as he got closer. “Very cheeky of you by the way,”

Her smile grew then and she laughed lightly when he wrapped his arms around her and looked down at her, his height making her a little dizzy.

She waited for him to lean down, finally kissing again after a long night apart.

“I thought you’d like it better than a cupcake,” she said teasingly between their next kiss. Her note had instructed him to come to the journalism lab for his morning kiss.

He moaned and pulled back up after a moment. “I do love food, but you were right, I like this a lot more.”

He leaned down to kiss her again and she melted into the softness of it, letting him hold her in the warmth of their embrace. She hadn’t expected to actually like him this much, which made things so much worse.

He pulled back and continued to look down at her, the two of them caught in this moment that was far too intense for Betty to handle. She cleared her throat. “So ah… you think you and Jellybean might be free tomorrow? Toni said she can take the photos then, maybe by the train tracks?”

“Yeah, let me just double check with Jellybean that she doesn’t have anything going on with her friends,”

Betty nodded, a little taken back when he kissed her again.

“Sorry,” he grinned. “I like doing that,”

She gently moved her hands over his shoulders and arms, biting her lip. “I like it too,” she admitted softly, stepping back when he stepped forward, trapping her between himself and a desk.

The kiss deepened, nothing else existing other than the feel of his lips on hers and the way his fingers caressed the exposed skin between her skirt and shirt. She was burning, both from lust and guilt. Why did he have to be such a good kisser?

The faint sound of the bell made them pull apart. “Talk to you later?”

She nodded, waiting for him to leave before giving it another moment so she could too, checking the hallway to make sure no one was looking.

.

After the game that night, Betty went to Pop’s with her friends for a late dinner. Jughead was on the other side having his own dinner with his dad and his sister. She thought it was sweet.

He texted her a few times, saying he couldn’t wait for them to just hang out alone, and then once more about his dad and sister leaving soon.

Once they did leave, she watched as Jughead went to talk to his friends for a few moments before coming over to their table. She smiled as he said hello to Toni and the guys, asking if she was ready to go.

She nodded, accepting his hand when he offered it, and the two of them left Pop’s hand in hand. She was sure everyone saw.

“You don’t mind?” she asked, a smile on her face as they approached his car and stood at the passenger side door. “People seeing us?”

He frowned and shook his head. “As long as you don’t,”

She shook her head also, kissing his lips when he leaned down, then opened her door. “Up for a ride?”

“Sure,” she replied, getting into the car and taking a deep breath to steady her nerves in the brief moment it took him to get into the car too.

There was no backing out now, and she didn’t think she’d want to even if she could.


	10. Jughead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited by PeaceBlessingsPeyton

Jughead enjoyed the silence as he drove them to a secluded place he knew the cops didn’t patrol. He reached over and held Betty’s hand in her lap, feeling so happy it actually made butterflies flutter in his stomach. He never imagined himself like this, so taken by a girl.

He approached the spot, an overlook of Sweetwater River with an amazing view of the bright moon, reflecting off the water.

“This okay?” he asked.

“It’s beautiful, Juggie,” she breathed, and once again he was taken aback by her beauty.

The moonlight on her face made her already flawless skin even more radiant. He smiled, appreciating that she found wonder in the small things like he sometimes did.

When she looked at him she smiled in return, biting her lip. “Don’t worry, I won’t jump you again like I did last night,” she laughed lightly, although he could tell she was a little embarrassed still.

She didn’t need to be, he was totally into it. “I’m not worried, I figured this would be a nice spot to just talk and get to know each other better,” he shrugged. He really was interested in getting to know her.

The two of them had known each other for pretty much their whole lives, but they weren’t friends, and she fascinated him. He imagined she didn’t have the greatest life, living on the Southside with her brother, her parents both passed away. But she seemed so confident, happy in her own skin, with good friends and doing well in everything she pursued. It was extremely attractive.

“Sounds good,” she agreed, “you go first,”

He chuckled a bit nervously. He forgot he’d have to share too, but she would probably feel more comfortable if he started things off so he was willing to go first. “What do you want to know?” he asked.

“Everything, I guess… Why don’t you start with football. I noticed you don’t wear your jacket unless it’s game day. Some of the guys wear them every day… and if you’re Sweet Pea, you never do,”

He laughed. Sweet Pea was a tough guy, serious on the field and with lots of energy. Truth was Jughead knew it was best to stay on his good side, and the best way to do that was to stay out of his way. It was funny that someone like that was friends with someone like Betty.

“You and he ever…” he closed his eyes, hearing how stupid he sounded right away. “I’m sorry, I sound so jealous,”

She laughed softly. “No, it’s okay, Sweet Pea’s just a good friend. It’s not like that with any of my friends,” 

He felt lighter somehow. He knew he’d probably have competition but at least there didn’t seem to be anyone else she was hanging out with this way, so he hoped he was ahead of the rest.

“Sorry,” he said again, getting back to the point. “My dad played football and he was super into it so he got me into it as a kid and it kind of just followed me to high school… Anything to help with college,”

That segwayed into talk about college and eventually their families. They both tiptoed around her parents death and the fact that his mother ran the gang her brother was a member of, that kind of stuff was too heavy for so early on.

She told him about how close she was with her brother and how he raised her. Being a big brother himself he knew that if he had been in the same position as Charles he’d do anything to protect and provide for his sister too. Jughead didn’t know much about Charles, but he had to admire that about him. Betty seemed to really love him and talked very highly about him, so he took her word for him being a good guy, at least a good brother.

He skipped over his parents' separation and talked a bit about his dad, explaining how he was kind of strict. “So, I just want to make sure you aren’t offended or anything, if I don’t tell my dad about us for a bit… I know he’ll think I should be focusing more on school and football,”

He felt bad, knowing what he was saying was really a lie. The truth was that he imagined his dad wouldn’t be happy by his choice of girls. Not that he’d think anything bad of Betty personally, just where she came from and the connections she had.

“It’s totally okay,” she assured. “I’m okay with your dad not knowing about us until you want to tell him,”

She was so wonderful, he thought, his gaze falling over her lovely features again, leaning forward just as she did, minds thinking alike when they began to kiss.

Her soft hands cupped his face and it made him smile. “So there’s an us?” he asked, looking deeply into her green eyes.

Her brow furrowed slightly as she pulled away but continued to hold his face. “If you want there to be,”

He smiled wider, replying by pulling her back in by the back of her neck and kissing her deeply. He’d be out of his fucking mind if he didn’t want there to be an ‘us’ with her. She was the most perfect girl he’d ever met.

.

“So, are you guys like  _ dating _ now?” Jellybean asked enthusiastically as they made their way towards the train tracks, where Betty told them to meet her and Toni.

Jughead rolled his eyes but couldn’t help but smile. His little sister was always his number one supporter in everything he did, but his budding relationship with Betty seemed to be her favorite.

“I don’t know,” he said, “I mean, I guess so… I’m just letting it develop naturally,” he told her.

“Well don’t screw it up,” she said, making him laugh. “She’s really great,”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” he replied, shaking his head with amusement. “I’m not planning on screwing up,”

She looked at him and raised her eyebrows. “Just be nice to her,”

“I’m always nice,” he defended.

He appreciated that the conversation stopped before they were in ear shot of Betty and Toni, greeting them and pretty impressed by the set up Toni already had going.

Jughead was fascinated by photography himself, so he knew a little, but his other activities, like football and writing and school kept him busy so he wasn’t a pro like Toni. He guessed everyone had their thing.

Hanging out with Betty and Toni was really fun. They posed for the photos, Toni showing him some cool stuff between shots and Jellybean and Betty chatting away, laughing and having fun.

To be honest, seeing Betty being so sweet with Jellybean only made him fall for her harder. She had such a positive outlook and those were the kinds of people he wanted around Jellybean.

They had so much fun that they kept the good time going, heading to Pop’s where Toni showed him her editing process while Jellybean helped Betty with her article for the paper.

When they finally left and went home, Jughead and Jellybean parted ways to go do their own things in their rooms. Jughead tried to focus on the homework he had, but was distracted by the messages he and Betty were sending back and forth.

They decided to hang out after dinner, with her inviting him over to her trailer. While he was apprehensive about going to the Southside, Sunnyside Trailer Park in particular, wanting to hang out with her was a priority, so he agreed.

.

Turned out there was nothing to be nervous about. He got to hers without a problem and was quickly inside the warmth of Betty’s home, cozy and reminding him of his own home for the first ten years of his life.

It did make him really appreciate what he had now though, not everyone was so lucky to have a dad who cared as much as his. He wondered what his dad would say now, if he knew where Jughead really was.

Thankfully his dad trusted him.

He sat on the couch with Betty, with her curled into his side, watching one of the movies on the long list they had already created, knowing they had to get started somewhere.

When the door rattled, Jughead became a little nervous, not expecting to meet her brother tonight but knowing it was a bandaid he’d have to rip off at some point if he wanted to be with Betty, just like he knew he’d eventually have to tell his dad.

“Shit,” Betty said under her breath, sitting up so she wasn’t as warm and cozy as they had just been. “He said he’d be out late, I’m sorry,”

Before Jughead could say it was okay, a guy who looked very much like Betty’s older brother entered. Jughead wasn’t sure why he was expecting this to go badly, but Charles surprised him when he stopped and smiled.

“Oh hey, you guys, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to interrupt,”

Jughead stood to greet him, the two shaking hands. His smile was kind just like Betty’s and it felt kind of surreal actually interacting with the closest person in her life. He was so important to her and it was nice.

“You’re not interrupting. We were just watching a movie,” Betty said. “This is Jughead Jones by the way,”

“Nice to meet you, man,” Charles said, “I won’t bother you for long, I just came to grab something real quick before I gotta go out again,”

Betty sighed. “Are you going to be gone all night?”

Charles frowned, leaning in to kiss Betty on the forehead and making Jughead smile, thinking they were sweet. “I’ll try not to be,”

Betty looked up at him like she didn’t believe him.

“Listen,” Charles said, directing his attention to Jughead again and he paid attention. “I know you’re not as scrawny as you look, I’ve seen you out on the field, but don’t think you can take me,”

“Charles,” Betty said, her eyes widening.

“You just be a good guy to my sister and everything’s going to be great between us, okay?” he finished up, giving them a wink.

“Yes, of course,” Jughead said, shaking Charles’ hand again. Although Charles was still a little scary, he was nicer than he expected and Jughead found himself respecting him for the obvious love he had for Betty and the wonderful way he had raised her.

“I like this one,” he smiled at Betty, leaving the two as he disappeared to the back of the trailer.

Betty sighed. “I’m sorry,”

He shook his head. “Nothing to apologize for,” he assured, he imagined himself being a lot more strict when the time came for him to have the same talk with whoever Jellybean decided to date.

Charles was gone just as quickly as he had arrived, and the two of them settled back in to finish their movie.

When it was over Betty turned to him and he couldn’t help but feel all light and happy. It was probably too early but he felt it, he was falling for her. All he wanted was to kiss her.

“Are you scared off?” she asked, her brow pulling together.

He smirked. “You’re brother does a good job of intimidating,” he joked, “but no one can keep me away now,”

He meant it, and it seemed like the right thing to say, because, instead of talking about the movie like he figured they would, they spent the rest of the evening making out on her couch, feeling like the whole trailer was a sauna.

  
  



End file.
